13: Buffalo by way of Baghdad...

the problem with this whole "write down all the stuff running through my mind, then pick one at random" approach to a month of blogs is that now, two weeks later, i am struggling to recall what i planned to say on the subject for today.

other than... if i ruled the world, there would be a law banning the consumption of iceberg lettuce... except in tacos. naturally, he loves the stuff. i would suggest some sort of couple's therapy to resolve this conflict, but they would probably recommend that we both seek professional help. 

my lettuce of choice is romaine.  

when you chop off the hard, "stemmy" bottom from a head of lettuce, do not simply toss it away. 

stick it into a corner of a garden, or a flower pot, and it will continue to "grow"... well, sorta. those tiny leaves deep in the center of the stem that had not fully developed will take this opportunity to grow a bit, and you will have what i once heard being referred to as "reclaimed lettuce"

just do not expect to "escape the agro-industrial-complex" or any other such silly thing (which was the claim being made by the individual who coined the phrase). what you will get—at best—is a handful of small leaves. so, while you are probably not going to survive the Apocalypse on "reclaimed lettuce", it might make for a cute  little salad or a bit of garnish on some other meal... which brings me to today. 

there is a Middle-Eastern grocery store on the other side of our neighborhood that sells marinated chicken wings that are the base of one of our favorite Summer meals. i add a splash of Sriracha hot sauce, and put them into a super-hot oven on a cookie sheet.

while they roast, i chop up whatever veggies we have on hand that would be good for dipping. today's assortment includes red pepper, baby English cukes, and (non-reclaimed) romaine lettuce. 

when they are almost ready, i give the wings a quick brush of a bit of melted butter mixed with more Sriracha, and return them to the oven until they are toasty and browned. it makes for fantastic oven-baked "Buffalo wings". well... Buffalo by way of Baghdad, that is. and i serve it up with blue cheese dressing for dipping, and a garnish of a reclaimed lettuce leaf. insane amounts of yumminess.